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Anderson County, Texas
Anderson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 55,109. Its county seat is Palestine . Anderson county was organized in 1846, and is named in honor of Kenneth L. Anderson who had been Vice President of the Republic of Texas. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.66%) is water. Major highways * U.S. Highway 79 * U.S. Highway 84 * U.S. Highway 175 * U.S. Highway 287 * State Highway 19 * State Highway 155 * State Highway 294 Adjacent counties *Henderson County (north) *Cherokee County (east) *Houston County (south) *Leon County (southwest) *Freestone County (west) National protected area *Neches River National Wildlife Refuge (part) Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 55,109 people, 15,678 households, and 11,335 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 18,436 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 66.44% White, 23.48% Black or African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 8.00% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 12.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 15,678 households out of which 34.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.07. In the county, the population was spread out with 20.70% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 37.70% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 155.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 173.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,957, and the median income for a family was $37,513. Males had a median income of $27,070 versus $21,577 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,838. About 12.70% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 16.60% of those age 65 or over. History Native Americans Indians friendly to the settlers resided in east Texas R E. Moore and Texarch Associates before the Kiowa, Kickapoo, Kichai, Apache and Comanche intruded upon their territory. Texas Beyond History These tribes hunted, farmed the land, and were adept traders. By 1772 they had settled on the Brazos at Waco and on the Trinity upstream from the site of present Palestine. The Tawakoni Texas State Historical Association branch of Wichita Indians originated north of Texas, but migrated south into east Texas. From 1843 onward, the Tawakoni were part of treaties made by both the Republic of Texas and the United States. On May 19, 1836 an alliance of Comanche, Kiowa, Caddo and Wichita attacked Fort Parker, killing or kidnapping all but about 18 settlers who managed to escape to Fort Houston, which had been erected in Anderson County in 1835 as protection against Indians. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Texas State Historical Association Among the captured was Cynthia Ann Parker, who later became mother of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker. Texas State Historical Association Some residents of Anderson County are related to Cynthia Ann Parker. In October 1838, Gen. Thomas Jefferson Rusk conducted a raid against hostile Indians at Kickapoo, near Frankston, Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. ending the engagements with the Indians in eastern Texas for that year. Settlers In 1826, empresario David G. Burnet received a grant from the Coahuila y Tejas legislature to settle 300 families in what is now Anderson County. Wallace L. McKeehan, Most of the settlers in the county came from the southern states and from Missouri. Baptist spiritual leader Daniel Parker Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. and eight other men organized the Pilgrim Predestinarian Regular Baptist Church in Lamotte, Illinois. The fellowship in its entirety migrated in 1833 to the new frontier of Texas. Among this group of settlers were Silas M. Parker, Moses Herrin, Elisha Anglin, Luther T. M. Plummer, David Faulkenberry, Joshua Hadley, and Samuel Frost. Fort Parker was the earliest actual settlement in the vicinity. After the fort was attacked, some of the survivors moved to Anderson County. County Established The First Legislature of the state of Texas formed Anderson County from Houston County on March 24, 1846. The county was named after Kenneth Lewis Anderson. Palestine Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. was named county seat. Anderson County voted in favor of secession from the Union. When the Civil War broke out, former Palestine district judge Judge John H. Reagan Texas State Historical Association served in the cabinet of the Confederate government as postmaster general, being captured at the end of the war and spending twenty-two months in solitary confinement. During Reconstruction, District Nine Court Judge Reuben A. Reeves, Texas State Historical Association a resident of Palestine, was removed from office as "an obstruction to Reconstruction" in part because of his refusal to allow blacks to participate as jurors in the judicial process. In 1875, the International – Great Northern Railroad Texas State Historical Association placed its machine and repair shops and general offices in Palestine, causing the community to double in size over the next five years. In January 1928 the first successful oil producer in Anderson County, known as the Humble-Lizzie Smith No. 1, was brought in. Texas State Historical Association By the year 2000 - of oil had been taken from county lands since 1929. The Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area was purchased by the state between 1950 and 1960, much of it. Milze L. Derden. The area was renamed in 1952 after Gus A. Engeling, the first biologist assigned to the area, was shot and killed by a poacher on December 13, 1951. Local media Anderson County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth DMA. Local media outlets are: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, and KFWD-TV. Other nearby stations that provide coverage for Anderson County come from the Tyler/Longview/Jacksonville market and they include: KLTV-TV, KTRE-TV, KYTX-TV, KFXK-TV, KCEB-TV, and KETK-TV. Government and infrastructure The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates state prisons for men in the county. The prisons Beto, Coffield, Michael, and Powledge units and the Gurney Unit transfer facility are co-located in an unincorporated area west of Palestine."Powledge Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 13, 2010. The Beto Unit has the Correctional Institutions Division Region II maintenance headquarters."Beto Unit." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on June 5, 2010. Communities Cities *Palestine Towns *Elkhart *Frankston Unincorporated areas *Bois d'Arc *Bradford *Broom City *Cayuga *Montalba *Neches *Slocum *Tennessee Colony *Wild Cat Bluff Education The following school districts serve areas in Anderson County: * Athens Independent School District (partial) * Cayuga Independent School District * Elkhart Independent School District (partial) * Frankston Independent School District (partial) * La Poynor Independent School District (partial) * Neches Independent School District * Palestine Independent School District * Slocum Independent School District * Westwood Independent School District See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Anderson County, Texas References External links *Anderson County government's website *Small Town Justice - Open Records Online * *Anderson County Texas Almanac Page *Anderson County Texas Electricity Choice *Anderson County Texas TXGenWeb Page *View historic Anderson County materials, hosted by the Portal to Texas History Category:Counties of Texas Category:Anderson County, Texas Category:Established in 1846